Public Hearing: YES ? NO ? Department: Board of Commissioners - District 2
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Commission Districts
A Resolution to Allocate DeKalb County Funding for the Creation of a Housing Plan for DeKalb County
Body
Information Contact: Commissioner Michelle Long Spears
Phone Number: 404-371-2863
PURPOSE:
To approve the attached resolution to allocation DeKalb County funding for the creation of a Housing Plan for DeKalb County.
NEED/IMPACT:
DeKalb County is experiencing a surge in the cost of renting and owning a home, whereby the cost of purchasing a home has doubled or tripled since 2013 in almost all DeKalb communities, and average rents per square foot have risen more than 50% during the same period. Since 2018, wages have lagged rents and property values. More than 50% of DeKalb County households who rent their home are cost burdened, meaning more than 30% of household income is spent on housing costs, and over 25% of DeKalb County households who rent their home are severely cost burdened meaning more than 50% of household income is spent on housing costs. The production of new rental housing in DeKalb County has shrunk by half since the 1990's while becoming more expensive to rent. The results of these factors and many others related to housing in DeKalb County include significant economic stress, housing insecurity, and homelessness for far too many DeKalb County households, as well as many more additional far-reaching negative impacts such as impeded educational attainment of children, barriers to wealth-building, and an increase in negative public health outcome. DeKalb County needs a Housing plan to coordinate efforts and response to these conditions and leverage public and private financial investments and policy action to address a variety of housing affordability challenges and for equitable housing outcomes related to other economic development p...
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